Summer time in Pennsylvania.

Summer time in PA means listening to outdoor music at wineries and cider it’s, kayaking and enjoying time with friends and family. 

Nancy and Chuck Gale visited us for a weekend. Nancy and I spent some time at the Penn State Arboretum. They had a pollinator celebration while we were there. 

Then it was on to the Penn State Museum. 

Nancy and I in front of the Nittany Lion Paw in front of the museum. We are wondering if they will be moved to the new building. 

Gale told me she had two things on her bucket list. One was to kayak and one was to horseback ride. Bill and I were able to help her with the first one so far. We kayaked at Black Moshannon, Bald Eagle SP and Colyer lake. All theee were beautiful and relaxing. 

Of course summer wouldn’t be summer without music from Biscuit Jam. Fun with friends at Happy Valley Winery and 814 Cidery. 

Kelly’s dad and mom visited from Tennessee, which is always a treat. 


Remington Ryde came to Centre Hall so Kristen, Winter and James and Kya listened to some good old time bluegrass music. 

Summer sunrises and sunsets at our house were spectacular this year. 

My flowers bloomed and bloomed all summer. The hummingbirds like them and their feeders. 

Andrea and Bo invited us to join them and the Red River Roadhouse crew to kayak and float on the Clarion Rover. Perfect weather to be on the water. 

Next was a quick trip to Nancy and Chuck’s cottage to catch up with each other, hike some more, and kayak on the Little Elk Lake 

Lenny and Banjo enjoyed new smells and new trails. 

We also attended a Wine, beer, and Cider Festival. Enjoyed tasting everything in NE PA. 

Grange Fair usually marks the end of summer because kids and teachers start back to school and the nights cool down. It’s a fun place to eat a lot and to visit with friends and family. 

Our next journey will take us across the US to visit Drew, Erin and Shan and Carl, pick up Jillian and head to Oregon and Washington for Jillian’s graduation gift. More posts to follow. 

Last full day at First Landing State Park

Last full day at First Landing State Park did not disappoint. Fred Powelltook us on a 10 mile bike ride in the park and then to the beach we went for an afternoon swim and kayaking. Such fun. Water was like bath water. Then dinner with Janet Powell and Fred and our last sunset watch. 

Our goodbyes and thanks for a great time with the Powells. 

First Landing State Park

Love this campground. Our site is just off the dunes. We can walk to the beach in 5 minutes, plus this beach is only for the campers so it’s not crowded at all. 

Lots of squirrels. Guess they like the beach too. 

We are close to the Naval base, so we see some of their ships. 

One day we had a storm that flooded the road for awhile but the sun came out and we had another beautiful sunset. 

On one of our biking trips we helped a person whose bike broke. Coach road back to the campground to get his Allen wrench and Bill and he fixed the bike and she was on her way again. 

Love our Happy Hours on the beach with Fred and Janet. So relaxing watching the ghost crabs come out and scurry back in their holes. See his beady eyes?

The park has lots of programs so Janet and I went to the Swamp Stomp. Learned a lot about the Bald Cypress trees and the things that live in the swamp. 

Can you see the green frog?

Bullfrog tadpole. 

Then it was time for Fred and Janet to take care of their hosting duties. Lenny, Banjo and I went along in their golf cart. They loved it. 

Only a few more days on the beach but I hope we’ll be back next year. 

More Beach Time at Virginia Beach

Those of you who have been to Virginia Beach may have driven the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Wow, what an expansive project but saves so much time for us. We pulled  into spot 156 at First Landing State Park, almost on the beach. We are just a few dunes away from the ocean. 

Found our friends and Camp Hosts, Fred and Janet Powell. Sat and talked for awhile then went to dinner at Dockside. Delicious seafood and great outdoor space. 

What a great first day. 

Beach time at Cape Henlopen

Cape Henlopen is a fun State Park for us. There’s hiking, biking and beach. Awww, what more could I want. Bonnie and Carl Pillar invited us to go along with them 3 years ago and we’ve been coming back since then. 

We arrived Thursday, June 2, setup and walked around the campground with Banjo and Lenny. Just as we were finishing dinner with Bonnie and Carl, the rains came down. 

All over by morning so we got a hike over the dunes with the boys. 

Then we rode bikes to the beach to see the horseshoe crabs spawning. Next was dinner and a fire with the Pillars. 

Saturday Bill and I drove to Lewes so we would have enough connection to watch Nathan wrestle in the U23 tournament. Sat in the beautiful Zwaandahl Park. 

Nathan had a tech fall to begin and then he met a 3 time All American, Cassiopie. Good for him to wrestle this caliber. 

Had lunch at the Crooked Hammock Brewery. Look at the size of their plate of nachos. 

Lots of trails to bike or hike. We biked into Lewes for the Sea Glass Festival. The festival had so many colorful pieces of sea glass in lots of art forms.  Ate lunch at Stripper Bites that had delicious fresh fish. Lewes is a pretty town with colorful homes and beautiful flowers.  

Monday we biked the opposite way to Rehoboth and walked the streets looking in the vendors’ windows. I think there was something for everyone here. I spied a Kohr’s ice cream. I love their creamy peanut butter. 

When you bike into Rehoboth, you pass Gordon’s Pond, a natural refuge for birds. Sometimes the Biden family visit their home here but not this week. When they are here the bike path is closed for security  

The temps were in the 70s which made it very comfortable. Bonnie and I got some more time on the beach. 

 There are two watch towers right on the beach left from World War II, looking for enemy ships. I’m standing next to one to show you how high they are. 

This beach time has come to a close but we are going farther south to Virginia Beach to spend time with Janet and Fred Powell. Can’t wait for more beach time.